In this breakdown, we breakdown the uses of 8,9,10,11 defender coverage schemes have been by far one of the most common defensive schemes used in football video games ever since they added defensive hot routes. These types of coverages help force offenses to play small ball and work their way down the field. Initially, when the game first comes out, most players find it hard to air it out consistently. However, once they find a few money passing plays, it becomes much easier to pass the ball. That’s when 8,9,10, and 11 coverage schemes need to be used to help defend these types of pass plays.
Below, we take a look at several 8,9,10,11 coverage schemes from a common Nickel Normal defense that players like to run.
Base Play Used For This Breakdown
The base play we use for this breakdown is the Nickel Normal – 2 Man Under. Most players run some type of 2 Man Under defense as their base defense because it can be changed up rather easily. The reason we say this is 5 defenders play man coverage, while safeties play 2 deep.
Madden Guides Tip: Keep in mind, 2 Man Under 4-3 defenses, 46 defenses, even 3-4 defenses can be adjusted to the same 8,9,10, and 11 coverage schemes we show below, but with different personal on the field.
8 Men Coverage Schemes
8 Men Coverage schemes have 3 defenders rushing the quarterback, while 8 defenders drop back in pass coverage. Below are a few examples of 8 men coverage schemes that we like to call from a 2 Man Under base defense.
Example 1
- The left end is hot routed into the curl to flat.
Possible Uses:
- Defend against the tight end running a corner route.
- Defend against the flanker running a curl route.
Example 2
Defensive Adjustments:
- The right end is hot routed into QB Spy.
Possible Uses:
- To prevent the quarterback from taking off out of the pocket.
- Defend against passes over the short the middle of the field such as a drag route.
Example 3
Defensive Adjustments:
- The left end is hot routed into a vertical hook.
Possible Uses:
- Defend quick pass to the tight end.
9 Men Coverage Schemes
9 Men Coverage schemes have 2 defenders rushing the quarterback, while 9 defenders drop back in pass coverage. Below are a few examples of 9 men coverage schemes that we like to call from a 2 Man Under base defense.
Example 1
Defensive Adjustments:
- The right end and left are hot routed to drop back in vertical hooks.
Possible Uses:
- Defend quick pass to the tight end.
- Defend slants.
- Defend passes over the short middle such as drag and angle routes.
Example 2
Defensive Adjustments:
- The right end and left are hot routed into QB Spy.
Possible Uses:
- Defend passes over the short middle such as drag and angle routes.
- Prevent the quarterback from taking off out of the pocket.
Example 3
Defensive Adjustments:
- The right end and left are hot routed to cover the hard flats.
Possible Uses:
- Defend against a passes towards the hard flats such as flat, zig zag, or quick out routes.
- Defend against screen passes to the receivers.
- Defend against screens to the runningback such as slip screens.
Example 4
Defensive Adjustments:
- The right end and left are hot routed to cover the seam flats.
Possible Uses:
- Defend against corner routes
- Defend against curl routes
- Defend against deep out routes.
10 Men Coverage Schemes
10 Men Coverage schemes have 1 defender rushing the quarterback, while 10 defenders drop back in pass coverage. Below are a few examples of 10 men coverage schemes that we like to call from a 2 Man Under base defense.
Gridiron Guide 14 Tip: When you started having to hot route 3 or more defenders into different types of coverages, you may not always have enough time to do so. Please keep that in mind as you look at the 10 and 11 men pass coverages.
Example 1
Defensive Adjustments:
- The right end and left are hot routed to cover the seam flats.
- The weak side defensive tackle is hot routed into a vertical hook.
Possible Uses:
- Defend against corner routes.
- Defend against curl routes.
- Defend against deep out routes.
- Defend against short passes over the middle.
Example 2
Defensive Adjustments:
- The right end and left are hot routed to cover the hard flats.
- The weak side defensive tackle is hot routed into a vertical hook.
Possible Uses:
- Defend against flat routes.
- Defend against screens to the receivers.
- Defend against slips screens to runningbacks.
- Defend against short passes over the middle.
Example 3
Defensive Adjustments:
- The right end and left are hot routed to cover the seam flats.
- The weak side defensive tackle is hot routed into QB Spy.
Possible Uses:
- Defend against corner routes.
- Defend against curl routes.
- Defend against deep out routes.
- Defend against short passes over the middle.
- Prevent the quarterback from taking off.
11 (All) Men Coverage Schemes
11 Men Coverage schemes have 1 defender rushing the quarterback, while 10 defenders drop back in pass coverage. Below are a few examples of 11 men coverage schemes that we like to call from a 2 Man Under base defense proving we have enough time.
Madden Guides Tip: The 10 and 11 men pass coverages schemes we show, we are only hot routing defensive linemen, so its not as difficult to hot route all four them as it would if were to hot route two defensive linemen and two linebackers. The reason is we can right down the line and make our defensive hot route adjustments.
Example 1
Defensive Adjustments:
- The right end and left are hot routed to cover the seam flats.
- The weak side and strong side defensive tackles are hot routed into vertical hooks.
Possible Uses:
- Defend against corner routes.
- Defend against curl routes.
- Defend against deep out routes.
- Defend against short passes over the middle.
Madden Guides Tip: The more defenders that drop in pass coverage, the harder it will be for your opponent to find an open receiver.
Example 2
Defensive Adjustments:
- The right end and left are hot routed to cover the hard flats.
- The weak side defensive tackle is hot routed into a vertical hook.
- The strong side defensive tackle is hot routed into QB Spy.
Possible Uses:
- Defend against flat routes.
- Defend against screens to the receivers.
- Defend against slip screens to runningbacks.
- Defend against short passes over the middle.
- Defend against corner routes.
- Defend against curl routes.
- Defend against deep out routes.
- Defend against passes over the deep middle.
- Prevent the quarterback from taking off out of the pocket.
Example 3
Defensive Adjustments:
- The right end and left are hot routed in QB Contain.
- The weak side and strong side defensive tackle are hot routed into QB Spy.
Possible Uses:
- Defend against slips screens to runningbacks.
- Defend against short passes over the middle.
- Prevent the quarterback from taking off out of the pocket.
Final Thoughts
What you have seen in all the images above is you can be very creative when it comes to defending the pass. Even against high power offenses, these types of coverage schemes will give us a shot at success. Not only can 2 Man Under defenses such as we show in this breakdown can be used, but so can other man and zone defenses can be created to create 8,9,10, and 11 coverage schemes. Please take some time to work these coverage schemes and others that you may find to help defend against this year’s passing offenses.
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